Archive for the ‘recycling’ Category

The following guest post is by Anne Staley, an environmentalist who likes to express her thoughts and beliefs through the written word. Her motto in life is to better the lives of others through the knowledge she shares. She loves nature and urges her readers to go green. She shares her thoughts through creative writing and blogs. Her email is annestaley19@gmail.com

I’ve been to San Francisco many times. But everytime I set foot inside the city, I’m amazed at its beauty, freshness and vibrancy. Whenever I return, my love for the city is renewed.

What’s not to love about San Francisco? It has tolerant residents; great weather; the rolling hills that surround it; the quaint cable cars that crisscross the city. The charming Al-fresco cafes; Fishermen’s Wharf; Golden Gate Bridge; its buzzing nightlife, thriving art and culture scene, and its rich sporting tradition. Read the rest of this entry »

A short update on the Plastiki: The 60-foot catamaran made out of more than 12,000 recycled plastic water bottles arrived in Sydney, Australia Monday after sailing some 8,000 nautical miles in 130 days.

The journey’s intent was to show that trash – mainly in the form of plastic water bottles – can be made useful, to publicize the huge area of plastic trash and other debris known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch and to demonstrate a new approach to boat-building, namely one sans fiberglass.

A major goal on the voyage from San Francisco to Sydney was to draw attention to the health, mostly the lack of it, of the world’s oceans. The vessel’s itinerary brought it close to Hawaii, the Bikini Atoll, and the Tarawa Islands. Its course also followed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where floating plastic covers an area twice the size of Texas.

David de Rothschild, the youthful heir to the European banking fortune, environmentalist, adventurer and head of Adventure Ecology, lead the Plastiki Expedition. The expedition was launched in March.

Its hull is made entirely out of recycled plastic bottles filled with carbon dioxide. Nearly everything on the boat from the hull to the sails is made from recycled materials.

Solar panels, wind and sea turbines generates power. It also has an on-board exercise bike to provide extra power for electronics, including a laptop. An onboard hydroponic garden provided fresh greens for the crew, including

The catamaran’s frame uses a new plastic product called self-reinforced polyethylene terephthalate, or srPET. Developed in Europe, it is similar in strength to fiberglass, but unlike fiberglass it is made of 100 percent recyclable plastic.

A photo slideshow that the crew published illustrated an ancillary benefit of the expedition: That an 8,000 catamaran-trip across the Pacific is a great way to lose weight.

For all you watch fanatics – you know who you are, you compulsively watch the watch shows on ShopNBC until all hours and even more compulsively buy them at the risk of solvency, credit score, marriage and good nutrition – there’s one more to add to the collection: A green watch that’s almost entirely biodegradable.

BTTR Ventures (pronounced Better and as in Back To The Roots) has a thing about mushrooms, while Peet’s Coffee & Tea of course has a very big thing about coffee (and tea). This unlikely duo has joined forces in a clever and delicious waste-to-food recycling venture that produces gourmet mushrooms out of coffee grounds.

Some 16 billion pounds of coffee beans are used each year, most of which eventually wind up in landfills. Cal Berkley Haas School of Business grads Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Aorara founded the company to turn one of the largest waste streams in America into sustainable local food. They do this by using coffee grounds as the substrate to grow different varieties mushrooms.

BTTR donates 10 percent of profits back to the community. In addition, the venture is creating new jobs in local urban areas.

Peet’s, based in Emeryville, CA, is the primary source of BTTR’s coffee grounds.

BTTR oyster and shitake mushrooms are available at select Whole Foods Markets in the San Francisco Bay area. Their mushrooms are also available for online ordering.

BusinessWeek recently selected Velez and Aorara for its Top 25 Entrepreneurs in America Under 25, and they were one of the OG25 – the 25 most innovative start-ups – at Opportunity Green.